


Don't Expose the Future

by protectginozasquad



Series: Psycho-Pass AU [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Psycho-Pass
Genre: Grief/Mourning, M/M, Past Character Death, psycho-pass au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24527398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protectginozasquad/pseuds/protectginozasquad
Summary: Two months into his job at the MWPSB, Sugawara Koushi still hasn't figured out his partner, Sawamura Daichi.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Series: Psycho-Pass AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765249
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows what happens in "Don't Expose the Colors" but you don't have to have read that to understand what happens.

“I’m worried about Daichi,” Oikawa said as he sat back in the comfortable recliner in Iwaizumi’s enforcer quarters. 

“You never call him that,” Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow as he poured whiskey into a glass. “You must be really worried.” 

Oikawa glared at him. 

“What? You always call him Dai-chan.” 

“I guess I do,” Oikawa said, moving his bangs out of his eyes. “This is supposed to be a secret, but I read the report on Kuro-chan’s death.” 

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened. “You idiot! What are you thinking? Do you want to get yourself suspended, or endanger your Pyscho-Pass?” 

Oikawa flicked his eyes over to Iwaizumi. 

“Aw, Iwa-chan’s worried about me!” 

Iwaizumi frowned. “Of course I am,” he said darkly. 

“But don’t you wanna know?” 

“I guess.” 

“Daichi had to shoot Kuroo with the Lethal Eliminator,” Oikawa said, suddenly very serious. 

“What?” 

“The abolition block was a diversion. The chief actually found out where Kuro-chan was headed - that part was redacted from the report - and sent Daichi to intercept him. Can you believe that? He made Daichi go on his own to execute Kuroo? It sickens me.” 

“Oi, don’t talk like that.” 

“I’ll talk however I want!” Oikawa snapped. “I can’t believe he’d do something so heartless to Daichi. He’s a human being. He loved Kuroo!” 

“Love isn’t the strongest force in the world,” Iwaizumi shrugged. “I guess it couldn’t make up for Kuroo’s deteriorated Psycho-Pass. Those are just the rules.” 

“The craziest thing is that he hasn’t been to therapy or anything since then, and his Psycho-Pass is still clear.” 

“Crystal-clear Sawamura,” Iwaizumi said quietly. 

“He has a nickname?” 

“Some of the enforcers call him that,” Iwaizumi shrugged. “More importantly, you should stop snooping on him. He’ll get mad if he finds out.” 

“I just don’t know what to do. What do you even say?” 

“You don’t say anything, dummy.” 

“But he’s hurting. You work with him more than I do,” Oikawa said. “Surely you’ve seen it.” 

Iwaizumi sighed. 

“I can’t say I’m shocked that something happened. He is acting differently. I thought maybe it was Kuroo disappearing, although I can’t believe they didn’t make his death public, at least to the enforcers. You know, a reminder of what awaits us if we’re stupid and try to escape.” 

Oikawa tilted his head to the side, looking sad. “You’d never do that to me, Iwa-chan.” 

Iwaizumi laughed softly. “Never, Shittykawa.” 

“I heard there’s going to be a new inspector assigned,” Oikawa said. “Looks like we won’t be working together as much.” 

“I bet the chief wanted to separate us,” Iwaizumi swirled his whiskey glass. 

“You think he knows?” 

“Everyone knows,” Iwaizumi shot Oikawa a glare. “You can’t keep your stupid mouth shut.” 

“But I’m in loooooove, Iwa-chan!” 

“Ew.” 

“Ew?!” Oikawa yelped. 

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi smiled. “Gross.” 

“B-but,” Oikawa stammered. “You are…” 

“Joking,” Iwaizumi stood up and moved in front of Oikawa, leaning down to give him a soft kiss on the lips. 

Oikawa sighed. “You’re such a pain,” he whined. 

“I’m the pain? You’re a certifiable pain in the ass,” Iwaizumi turned and went back to his own seat on the couch. 

“But you love me.” 

“Yeah, I guess I do.”


	2. Those Capable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months of trying to get to know him, Sawamura Daichi opens up to his partner. They also have to work Suga's first tough case.

“Daichi-san’s been like this for a few months. No one really knows what happened,” Akaashi said as he stirred his coffee. “But there’s a rumor going around with the enforcers that he had to use the Lethal Eliminator on someone from the department. A former… Division One inspector. An inspector who was demoted after a case, and escaped a few months later.”

It had been two months since Sugawara Koushi joined the MWPSB. He was getting to know everyone fairly well, and he liked both the other inspectors and the enforcers. 

He’d learned in his short amount of time that Akaashi was the easiest to talk to, Asahi and Suga got along best, Kiyoko didn’t take shit from anyone - not even inspectors - and Iwaizumi had some kind of relationship with an inspector from Division Two, Oikawa. Apparently Iwaizumi’s transfer was supposed to be temporary, but he seemed to fit into the division well enough that the chief had made it permanent, much to Oikawa’s chagrin. 

The only person he really couldn’t figure out was his partner, Inspector Sawamura Daichi. He was a kind man, a keen detective, but seemed to prefer to keep to himself off the job. Suga had asked him to get dinner in the cafeteria at least three times, and Daichi had always had an excuse. 

Suga couldn’t help it. He hadn’t expected someone like Daichi in the MWPSB. He expected inspectors to be harsh and commanding. There were some inspectors like that, particularly Kageyama, Oikawa’s partner in Division Two. Though Suga had picked up on a rumor that Kageyama had a soft spot for one of his enforcers… 

As someone with Mentalist aptitudes, these things were easy for Suga to pick up on. He hadn’t used his Mental Trace on any of them, although he’d considered (however fleetingly) using it on Daichi, to try and figure out why he was so standoffish. In the field, Daichi was attentive and caring, but he seemed to put up walls as soon as they were back in the office or off-duty. 

He’d finally decided to ask someone, and Akaashi seemed as good a place to start as any. Sure, Suga and Oikawa from Division Two got along, but he’d seen Daichi spend time with Oikawa. Surely if he went around asking Oikawa questions, Daichi would be quick to know. 

“They were partners?” Suga asked incredulously, suddenly understanding. 

“More than that,” Akaashi said. “They lived together before Kuroo’s demotion.” 

“Kuroo?” 

“I guess I shouldn’t have said his name,” Akaashi shrugged. “But it was Kuroo Tetsurou.” He paused thoughtfully. “Daichi-san is an excellent inspector. I respect and trust him. If that’s what he had to do, it was for the best. It was over for Kuroo the moment he escaped.”

“Do you really believe that?” Suga asked quietly. 

“Hey,” Akaashi smiled. “Don’t make it sound like you doubt Sibyl. That’s not very much like an inspector.” 

“I suppose not,” Suga replied. “Sorry, Akaashi-san.” 

“No need to apologize. You’re a funny inspector,” Akaashi said, taking his mug of coffee and going to settle at his desk. 

Iwaizumi joined them a few minutes later. 

“Area Stress Level warning. A Psycho-Pass above regulation value has been detected. Will the inspector on duty please go with the enforcers to the scene?” 

“Looks like I’m just in time,” Daichi said as he walked in. 

“Isn’t it your day off?” Suga asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Daichi laughed. 

“I don’t really know what those are anymore,” he said lightly. 

“Not burning yourself out, are you?” 

“You’ve been spending too much time with Oikawa,” Daichi said with a small smile. 

“Asahi and Kiyoko are off right now. Do you want me to grab someone who’s available?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“I think the four of us can handle it. Right, Inspector Sugawara?” 

“I told you to call me Suga,” Suga said a little grumpily. Daichi smirked and Suga felt his heart flip. 

There was another complication with Suga’s relationship with his fellow inspector. He had a particular soft spot for the strong, silent type. It was usually Suga’s specialty to get them to open up, but Daichi had been tough to crack. Still, Suga couldn’t help but be drawn to him. Even if Daichi turned him down to spend any extra time together, Suga held onto every moment at work they had together. He kicked himself for it constantly. 

_Shouldn’t have feelings for a coworker, _he thought miserably as they headed for the cars. If only his Mentalist manipulation skills could be used on himself.__

__“Well then, Suga, let’s go,” Daichi said, smirk softening into an actual smile._ _

__Suga let Daichi drive and flipped through the short scanner report on the drive._ _

__“Just looks like someone got flagged by a scanner. No indication they’ve left the area.”_ _

__“Hopefully it’s easy then,” Daichi said. Suga looked at him quizzically. “Sometimes people try to run when they get flagged by a scanner,” Daichi said with a shrug. “That’s when things can get really nasty. So hopefully he just stays put and we can bring him in without trouble. That will give him the best chance for recovery.”_ _

__Daichi opened the line of communication with the paddy wagon behind him._ _

__“We’re going to the mall, and it’s a weekend, so it’s likely to be crowded.”_ _

__“What do you want us to do?” Akaashi asked._ _

__“You two go on ahead and Suga and I will provide you with backup.”_ _

__“Roger that,” Akaashi said._ _

__“We’ll see you there,” Daichi shut off the communication line._ _

__“That seems like a simple strategy,” Suga said._ _

__“It doesn’t seem like a particularly dangerous incident, and the enforcers have good noses. Ah, we’re here.”_ _

__They exited the car as the paddy wagon pulled up. Soon the enforcers were standing in front of them and the drone cart had delivered their Dominators._ _

__Suga gripped his Dominator. He was used to the directional voice by now, even found it a bit comforting._ _

__Akaashi and Iwaizumi had already grabbed their Dominators and made their way into the building._ _

__“Should we follow them?”_ _

__“Sure, we’ll go in. But just let them do their thing,” Daichi said sagely. “They’re experts.”_ _

__“Someone told me to always let the enforcers do the work,” Suga said, repeating some ‘advice’ that had been given to him by the junior inspector in Division Two._ _

__“That was probably Kageyama,” said Daichi with a smirk. “That makes him sound lazy, which isn’t it at all. Kageyama worries about his Psycho-Pass quite a bit.”_ _

__“Yet he’s involved with an enforcer,” Suga said before clapping a hand over his mouth and flushing._ _

__“Leave it to a Mentalist to know everything about the CID personnel in a few months,” Daichi laughed as they walked into the crowded building. “Yes, I’ve heard that about Kageyama too. We’ll just stay here by the door to make sure he doesn’t make a break for it.”_ _

__“Sorry,” Suga said, cheeks cooling down._ _

__“That’s probably why they made me wait so long for you.”_ _

__Ah. Yes. They had waited because when he had first been called to the CID, his mother was dying._ _

__“Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up,” Daichi’s tone was apologetic._ _

__“Bring what up?” Suga asked pleasantly. He hadn’t expected Daichi to know about it, but somehow he wasn’t surprised to hear it._ _

__“Never mind,” Daichi said, looking away. “Here they come.”_ _

__“Inspectors!” Iwaizumi had someone in handcuffs._ _

__“That was quick. You didn’t want to use a Dominator?”_ _

__“He came voluntarily. Seems he’s afraid of them,” Iwaizumi said with a shrug. “Thought we could let him off easy. He’s only barely above regulation value. Don’t worry,” Iwaizumi turned to the man in handcuffs as they all headed back towards the car and paddy wagon. “Some therapy and mental care and you’ll be right as rain.”_ _

__“S-sure,” the man said, clearly not sure he agreed with Iwaizumi’s assessment._ _

__“Isn’t everyone afraid of Dominators?” Suga asked Daichi quietly as the enforcers escorted the handcuffed man into the paddy wagon._ _

__“I like Iwaizumi,” Daichi said slowly. “He doesn’t make decisions like that lightly. If he didn’t think the man was dangerous enough to use a Dominator, I trust his judgment.”_ _

__“Even if that’s technically a disagreement with Sibyl?” Suga raised an eyebrow._ _

__“Huh, I guess I wouldn’t have thought of it that way,” Daichi said lightly, heading back towards the car. “But it looks like it’s case closed already. Glad that was an easy one. Worst part is the paperwork.”_ _

__“You’re not a pencil pusher, it seems,” Suga said playfully._ _

__Daichi eyed him. “Paperwork is at least half the job, surely you’ve seen that by now.”_ _

__The whole thing had taken less than fifteen minutes. Suga was surprised how often their intervention ended quickly, and how much of the burden the enforcers took on._ _

__“Well, enforcers can write up reports, of course,” Daichi said. “But it’s up to the inspectors to submit them.”_ _

__“Wait, have you been submitting our reports all this time?” Suga looked at Daichi sharply. “I thought everyone could submit reports.”_ _

__“I am the Division One lead after all,” Daichi said with a kind smile. “It’s only natural I’d take on that responsibility.”_ _

__Suga was not surprised to hear Daichi had taken on some extra responsibility, although it made him a little embarrassed, as though he weren’t doing enough._ _

__“You can submit today’s report, if you want,” Daichi added when Suga didn’t say anything._ _

__“I’d like that,” Suga said, smiling at his partner. “Let me share some of the load.”_ _

__Daichi laughed._ _

__“I’m not good at that. But I’ll see what I can do. So take the statements that the enforcers sent us about the incident and compile into a report, format it appropriately and send it along to the chief. It’s not complicated. I’ll work on something else while you’re at it, and if you want me to look it over, let me know.”_ _

__Suga nodded, turning dutifully to his screen. He didn’t want to admit it, but he felt a little desperate to prove himself to Daichi. And it wasn’t just because Daichi was so good-looking and kind, although that had something to do with it._ _

__The rest of the shift passed without incident, but as Suga was packing up, Daichi tapped him on the shoulder._ _

__“Hey, now that we’re done with our shift,” Daichi shifted on his feet a little, looking a bit awkward. “I’d like to talk to you.”_ _

__“Oh,” Suga said lamely, feeling a little anxious. “Okay.” He followed Daichi out into the hallway._ _

__“I can tell... you’ve finally heard the rumors,” Daichi said in a level voice._ _

__Suga stiffened. It was one of the first times Daichi had sought out a one-on-one conversation with him, and he’d been caught sneaking around. It was embarrassing. He opened his mouth to protest, but simply ended up nodding._ _

__“How did you know?” Suga said after a pause._ _

__Daichi sighed. “You’ve been looking at me differently. The way everyone else did right after it happened. So I’ll just tell you, the rumors aren’t untrue. It’s true an enforcer died. It’s true he was my partner.”_ _

__“Then what isn’t true?” Suga asked without thinking. “You didn’t kill him?”_ _

__Daichi looked surprised. Suga wished he hadn’t said anything._ _

__“I can’t talk about it.”_ _

__“Can’t, or won’t?” Suga asked another unthinking question, kicking himself immediately._ _

__“Can’t,” Daichi said simply. He didn’t look upset. In fact, he smiled softly. “Come on, I’ll buy you some noodles in the cafeteria. If you, um, have the time.”_ _

__Suga felt his stomach flutter at the idea of Daichi treating him, but attempted to look as normal as possible._ _

__“Okay,” he said. “That sounds good. I’m sorry.”_ _

__“Sorry?” Daichi tilted his head to the side, looking genuinely confused._ _

__“I shouldn’t pry.”_ _

__“It’s natural to be curious,” Daichi shrugged. “But that’s really all I can tell you. I should be the one apologizing, anyway.”_ _

__“What for?” Suga fell in line with him as they headed towards the cafeteria._ _

__“For being avoidant,” Daichi smiled sheepishly. “The enforcer who died was my partner, you know? He was demoted a few months before he ran away, and I only had fill-ins since then. Mostly Oikawa and Kageyama. I haven’t ever had a partner besides him, really. I guess I’ve been isolating myself from you since then. That’s not fair, especially since you’re new and I ought to be teaching you the ropes.”_ _

__“You’ve been very helpful in the field,” Suga said._ _

__“You’re a quick study,” Daichi said. They made it to the cafeteria. “Get whatever you want. It’s on me.”_ _

__“You don’t have to-”_ _

__“I want to,” Daichi said, smiling at Suga. Suga felt his heart flutter again._ _

__“Okay,” Suga said, choosing some ramen._ _

__“So you ran the Division by yourself for the last two months?”_ _

__Daichi laughed._ _

__“Hardly. I almost always had someone subbing from Division Two.”_ _

__“Still, it can’t have been easy to keep hold of things with just substitutes.”_ _

__Daichi sighed, blowing steam off his own ramen._ _

__“I guess as soon as my partner was demoted I just kind of accepted my role.”_ _

__“You accepted being a lone leader?”_ _

__Daichi shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I knew they’d find me a new partner, but I just kind of focused on the task at hand, and I guess I got a little lost in it. I’ve never been good at sharing the burden, not even with my old partner.” Daichi had a smile that looked sad, and Suga remembered his conversation with Akaashi from earlier. They were more than partners. He decided not to press the matter any further._ _

__“Anyway, enough about me,” Daichi said. “How are you liking the CID so far?”_ _

__Suga set his spoon down._ _

__“Ah, it’s… not what I expected.”_ _

__Daichi raised an eyebrow._ _

__“It’s better!” Suga said quickly. “I mean, I don’t think I’ve had to be on very many tough cases yet, so maybe my feelings may change, but like that man from today - the way the enforcers handled it… I think he’s going to be okay. He’s probably going to be able to go back to society.”_ _

__“Yeah,” Daichi said. “I checked in on him just before we left. He’s already in therapy and his Psycho-Pass is clearing up.”_ _

__“Thank goodness,” Suga said, sighing._ _

__“I don’t want to make it sound like… I think you’re naive,” Daichi seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “But cases like that are the exception rather than the rule. You can’t save everyone. Learn that, and you’ll save yourself a world of hurt.”_ _

__“What’s that mean?” Suga asked curiously._ _

__Daichi faltered._ _

__“It just means this job can be… taxing.”_ _

__“You don’t want to lose another partner,” Suga said softly, resting his chin on his hand._ _

__“I’m sorry,” Daichi dropped his eyes. “I don’t want to make it sound like I think you’re weak or that your Psycho-Pass will cloud easily.”_ _

__“Hmm,” Suga tilted his head. “I don’t think that’s what you’re saying.”_ _

__Daichi glanced up at him, looking a little nervous._ _

__“I think you’re saying you care, and I think that’s sweet,” Suga said brightly, realizing as he said it he might be betraying a little too much how he felt, so he slurped up a large bite of noodles to cover the blush creeping onto his face._ _

__“You’re funny, Sugawara-san,” Daichi said._ _

__Suga glared. “I told you to call me Suga.”_ _

__Daichi laughed. “Sorry, Suga.”_ _

__+++_ _

__Suga wondered later if his conversation with Daichi had cursed them. He knew it was silly to believe in superstitious things, but maybe if he hadn’t said anything, they wouldn’t be in this situation._ _

__All of Division One had been called in the next morning to work a developing case._ _

__“Sorry for the early morning, guys,” Daichi said as they briefed in the office. “But it couldn’t wait.”_ _

__“No problem, Daichi-san,” Asahi said, yawning._ _

__“It seems a Psycho-Pass above regulation value was detected in a market area. The real trouble is it’s only a few blocks away from an abolition block, and if he makes it there, we might lose him. Division Two is working on a containment strategy out in the field right now, but we’re supposed to go and make direct contact to bring him in or eliminate the threat.”_ _

__“Whatever Sibyl deems necessary,” Akaashi said absently._ _

__“We’ll see when we get there. Everyone ready?”_ _

__They all nodded._ _

__“Let’s go.”_ _

__When they arrived at the scene, it was obvious that Division Two had set a perimeter, but they had refrained from evacuating the public for fear they might lose the criminal._ _

__“His name is Miyomoto Riki,” Daichi said, flipping through the report as the team gathered around. “His Psycho-Pass was flagged at 156.”_ _

__“In an hour? Geez, we better find him quick.”_ _

__“I just don’t know how we can do that without scattering the crowd,” Daichi said, looking up at the busy shopping center. “But we risk losing him if we start an evacuation.”_ _

__Suga decided it was his turn to step in and use his skills for what they were worth._ _

__“If I do a Mental Trace, we should be able to find him,” Suga said._ _

__Everyone turned to look at him with wide eyes. They all knew he was a Mentalist, of course, but he’d never used his skills in the field before._ _

__“Mental Trace a latent criminal?!” Daichi said severely. “What will that do to your Psycho-Pass?”_ _

__“I’ve done it before,” Suga said quietly. “You can trust me,” his voice was a little firmer._ _

__Daichi looked hesitant. “I’m sure there’s another way. He’s bound to walk past a scanner any moment now.”_ _

__“It’s been over an hour since a scanner flagged him but we know he hasn’t left the area. Undoubtedly he’s hiding somewhere, and it’ll be much faster if we can figure out where he’s at,” Suga said._ _

__“If you’re sure,” Daichi said quietly, obviously uncomfortable with the suggestion but at a loss for a better plan._ _

__Doing a Mental Trace meant literally getting into the mind of someone else. You could see their memories, the space they had been in, what’s happening around them. Suga was right, he had done it on a latent criminal before. It was riskier than he wanted to admit - not for his Psycho-Pass, that had never been an issue, but for his physical health. But it was his way of contributing. He knew he had to do it._ _

__“Leave it to me!” Suga saluted them and took a deep breath before leaning back against the car, dropping his hands by his side, and closing his eyes._ _

__“It’s raining,” he whispered to himself. He took a deep breath._ _

___As the rain started to fall around him, he could feel himself running, running, panting. He was scared. He was holding a nail gun up to a woman, demanding she come with him._ _ _

___It was cold. Abnormally cold. They were surrounded by packages, lots of them. Several people were crouched on the ground, looking terrified. Suga could hear himself yell at them, brandishing the nail gun, telling them not to move or he’d…_ _ _

__“Suga! Suga! Inspector Sugawara!” Daichi was shaking him when he came to. They were on the ground._ _

__“H-he’s barricaded himself in the back of the supermarket,” Suga said quickly, realizing he must have fainted during his Trace. “In the walk-in freezer. There are hostages.”_ _

__“How many?”_ _

__“Not sure,” Suga said. “Um, maybe four. He’s armed with a nail gun.”_ _

__“Let’s go,” Daichi looked around at the enforcers and nodded, propping Suga up on the car._ _

__“You stay here,” he said firmly._ _

__“Wait, let me-”_ _

__“You wait here!” Daichi said. He smiled. “That was brilliant. Now, rest and recover. We’ve got this.”_ _

__Suga eventually nodded and Daichi immediately took off after the enforcers. His body ached. He was tired. Traces didn’t usually leave him so vulnerable, but perhaps tracing a latent criminal…_ _

__But when Suga heard the screams, he knew he couldn’t hang back. He forced himself up and ran into the building with his Dominator. It didn’t take him long to find the team, who were holding their Dominators at the freezer door. A man was watching them from the one, small circular window in the freezer door, looking deranged and desperate. If that’s whose mind Suga had entered, he supposed it was no wonder he felt so tired._ _

__“We can’t use a Decomposer shot to blast in, that could hurt the hostages.”_ _

__“Aren’t they all latent criminals by now?” Kiyoko asked._ _

__“We shouldn’t take that chance,” Daichi said firmly._ _

__“This is the MWPSB. We don’t want to use force, but we will,” Daichi shouted._ _

__Suga noticed Iwaizumi crawling across the floor, trying to stay out of the line of sight of the culprit. Suga realized he was planning to open the door. His heart stopped as he realized that the culprit would likely use the hostages as a shield._ _

__“Wait!” He shouted just as Iwaizumi reached the door and opened it._ _

__Suga watched in horror as the Dominators transformed and the hostages fought to get through the door. They were blocked by the culprit, who was staring at Daichi’s Dominator in horror._ _

__“N-no,” he said, holding his own at his side, not pointing it at anyone._ _

__“Don’t let them get away!” Daichi shouted, but Suga could see the stress lines etched into his forehead._ _

__“Inspector, step aside!” Asahi stepped in front of Daichi and fired the first Lethal Eliminator shot, aimed right at the culprit. The hostages screamed as he exploded and started fighting each other to get through the door. All three of them managed to get through, screaming and crying. Suga felt like he was going to vomit._ _

__They must have all been over 300, Suga thought, because the Dominators weren’t transforming back._ _

__Iwaizumi, Kiyoko, and Akaashi all fired at the same time. There was a horrible sound as three human bodies exploded all at once._ _

__“P-please!” A voice came from inside the freezer, begging. “I-I haven’t done anything.”_ _

__Suga felt a slight relief as he watched Daichi’s Dominator transform back into Paralyzer mode. At least one person would be saved._ _

__“We’ll keep you safe,” he heard Daichi say before he pulled the trigger. Daichi breathed a heavy sigh, glancing around the rest of the room. His eyes widened when he saw Suga standing there._ _

__“Oh no,” he walked briskly over to Suga. “Sorry you had to see that,” Daichi said, gripping Suga’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”_ _

__Maybe it was being exhausted from the Mental Trace, maybe it was the warmth of Daichi’s firm hand on his shoulder, but the words just came tumbling right out._ _

__“I’m with you, of course I’m alright.”_ _

__Daichi’s eyes widened slightly and Suga felt himself blush._ _

__“You just saw something terrible,” Daichi said, apparently unconcerned with Suga’s outburst._ _

__“I’m an inspector, Daichi,” Suga straightened up. “These things happen.”_ _

__“Still, you’re…”_ _

__“A rookie?” Suga looked at Daichi a little too sternly._ _

__“N-no,” Daichi stammered and Suga couldn’t help but giggle a little. Cute._ _

__“Nice of you to be worried. I’m tired from the Trace, but I really am okay. How about that hostage girl?” He motioned to where the one remaining hostage was laying on the ground._ _

__“We’ll see how therapy fares for her,” Daichi said with a shrug. “But it’s unusual to recover from something like this. Let’s gather everyone and head back. Forensics will handle cleaning the scene.”_ _

__Suga nodded and helped round up the enforcers, all of whom had grim expressions on their faces. It was the first time Suga really saw their roles for what they really were. The way Asahi had stepped in front of Daichi to fire the shot at Miyomoto, the way Iwaizumi had crawled across the floor while Daichi did the negotiating. It was unfair, Suga thought, that the enforcers took so much of the burden._ _

__“I think I know what you’re thinking,” Daichi said as they got back into the car._ _

__Suga looked at Daichi sharply._ _

__“You feel bad for the enforcers.”_ _

__Suga didn’t say anything, but he felt a lump rise in his throat. Stupid. Stupid time to be hit with feelings._ _

__“You can say it,” Daichi said quietly._ _

__“It seems unfair,” Suga said._ _

__“I’ve shot Lethal Eliminator shots before,” Daichi said as he started to drive. “And I don’t like to make a habit of using enforcers as a shield.”_ _

__“In training they say that’s what they should be used for,” Suga said angrily. “But they’re people too. They have feelings, too.”_ _

__“I agree,” Daichi said. “I don’t like it when they take all the burden like they did today. But it’s sort of their pride as enforcers. We have a good crew. Our enforcers like to make protecting the inspectors a priority. Sometimes I wish they’d focus on something else once in a while,” he gave a rueful smile._ _

__“What’s it like?” Suga asked quietly._ _

__“What’s what like?”_ _

__“Using the Lethal Eliminator.”_ _

__“Ah,” Daichi switched the car to autodrive and ran a hand through his short hair. “Well, if we agree with Sibyl, it’s certainly not your fault that you have to pull the trigger. But, you know, Dominators don’t fire shots on their own. They could’ve been designed that way, to fire automatically when a Psycho-Pass above regulation value is detected. So I try to remember that I’m still responsible for what happens to that person. Whether they live or die.” He turned to Suga. “It’s weighty. But my job is to protect people. I’ll do whatever it takes to fulfill that duty.”_ _

__“Whatever it takes, huh?” Suga mused._ _

__“Well, I know it feels like it in this moment, but you don’t need to take it so seriously. In the end, we all await Sibyl’s judgment, and hope that judgment is fair. It’s all we can do.”_ _

__“We’re back,” Daichi took control of the car and guided it into the parking spot. “Want to get some food again?”_ _

__“Those cafeteria noodles were pretty good.”_ _

__Daichi smiled at him. “I was thinking we could go somewhere offsite, if you wanted.”_ _

__Suga willed himself not to turn bright pink to no avail._ _

__“Y-yeah, I’d like that.”_ _

__“The report can wait until tomorrow. I’m giving everyone the night off. That was a tough case, and the enforcers need to prioritize their mental care. I’ll go let them know they’re done, and we can go get something to eat. Do you need to grab anything from the office?”_ _

__“No, I have everything.”_ _

__Daichi smiled at him. “Then wait here, and I’ll drive us, okay?”_ _

__Suga let his heart do a little backflip. He swallowed, and again attempted to look as normal as possible._ _

__“I’ll be right here,” he said with a smile that was probably way too genuine._ _


	3. Memories Will Shoot Apart the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi spends some time with Oikawa, and Suga indulges a little too much. What happens as a result confuses them both.

It didn’t take long after their first few outings for it to become something of a habit for Daichi and Suga. Suga was relieved. Daichi seemed to be relaxing around him. They were eating dinner after a joint shift at a restaurant near Suga’s apartment. 

“What about Asahi?” 

“What about him?” Daichi looked at Suga quizzically. 

“He doesn’t seem like a latent criminal to me. I guess none of them really do, but Asahi especially.” 

Daichi shrugged before taking a bite of his food. He chewed as he thought. 

“I don’t know much about it,” Daichi said slowly as though choosing his words carefully. “But I think Asahi became a latent criminal after the death of both of his parents.” 

Suga’s chest tightened. Suga knew what that feeling was like. 

“How awful.” 

“He was young, too,” Daichi said. “But he’s been with the PSB basically since he’s been of age. They always knew he had an aptitude for it, so at least he knew he wouldn’t be spending his whole life in an isolation facility.” 

“Still, is life at the tower much better?” Suga said without thinking. 

Daichi quirked an eyebrow. 

“You shouldn’t talk that way,” he said quietly, although a small smile was playing at the corners of his lips. 

“And why not, Inspector Sawamura?” Suga said teasingly. 

“You should just protect your Psycho-Pass is all,” Daichi was still giving a small smile, but his eyes betrayed a seriousness that made Suga think he shouldn’t joke about his Psycho-Pass. 

“I know,” Suga looked down at his food. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” Daichi said sheepishly. “Just… don’t doubt the system. That’s when you run into trouble.” 

“Well, tell me about Iwaizumi and Oikawa then,” Suga perked back up. 

“Are you just a big gossip?” Daichi said with a laugh. “And don’t you know all the answers already?” 

“What’s that mean?” Suga asked lightly. 

“I mean, you’re a Mentalist.” 

“Mentalists don’t read minds, Daichi,” Suga said. 

“No?” Daichi looked confused. 

“I mean, sure, we can look into a person’s memories, but it’s not like I can cherry-pick the information I want. In this case, dirt on Oikawa.” 

“And why do you want ‘dirt’” - Daichi used air quotes - “on Oikawa?” 

“No reason,” Suga said. In truth, he and the Division Two lead were getting along quite splendidly. He really just wanted something to tease him about. “I mean, I’ve never seen him around Iwaizumi, but I can see how they’d be compatible.” 

“No compatibility rating though,” Daichi said thoughtfully. 

“I thought everyone had compatibility ratings.” 

“Well, they have a work compatibility rating. And that scored pretty well for them, so one can guess that they’d be a good match romantically. But Sibyl doesn’t make compatibility judgments on relationships that involve a latent criminal.” 

Daichi shrugged. 

“You sound like you know a bit about it,” Suga said, keeping his voice light. Daichi had still not mentioned Kuroo since their first conversation about him, and curiosity was eating at Suga. 

“I know something about it,” Daichi said noncommittally, and Suga got the feeling today would not be the day he learned anything more about Kuroo. 

“But how long have Oikawa and Iwaizumi been together?” Suga steered the conversation back to where it was supposed to go. He shouldn’t pry, anyway. It was Daichi’s life and he could share it if he felt like it. 

“Hmm,” Daichi seemed to relax a little bit. “It happened pretty early on. Oikawa and I were in the same year in the academy, so we started at the same time. Iwaizumi was already an enforcer when we got here - although I’m under the impression that he’d been recruited recently.” 

“Are they happy with the situation?” 

“I mean,” Daichi said. “I think they make each other happy, if that’s what you mean. I’m sure they wish things were different, but Iwaizumi and Oikawa can go out and do things as long as they’re together. I think the chief separated them because he didn’t like them working together, but relationships between enforcers and inspectors aren’t prohibited.” 

“Huh,” Suga said. “Well, like I said, I haven’t seen them together before, but they seem well-matched.” 

“They are,” Daichi nodded. “I suppose that wasn’t the dirt you were looking for,” he gave a rueful smile. 

Suga considered this. 

“Nah, it’s good enough,” he returned Daichi’s smile. 

“Well, it’s all I’ve got,” Daichi said. 

“Very helpful, inspector,” Suga said with a mock salute. 

“If anything, you should be the one giving me the dirt.” 

“I told you, I can’t read minds!” 

“Yeah, right. You know about Kageyama and Hinata too. No one’s that perceptive.” 

“Kageyama and Hinata are so obvious! I haven’t used a Mental Trace on anyone in the department!” Suga insisted. “Not even you.” He clapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn’t meant to let it slip. Surely Daichi would start to catch onto his feelings now, and be horrified. 

“Not even me, huh?” Daichi said, surprising Suga by lifting an eyebrow curiously. Suga flushed but attempted to cover it up. 

“W-well, you are my partner,” he stammered. “It’s only natural you’d be the most likely for me to trace. But I would never!” He added quickly. 

“Mentalists can manipulate people, too, right?” Daichi didn’t seem deterred by Suga’s stammering. He didn’t seem embarrassed or unhappy at all. “Maybe I’m being manipulated into having dinner with you.” 

“That’s, um, no of course not!” Suga wasn’t used to finding himself so flustered. 

But Daichi was laughing. 

“I’m kidding, of course,” he said good-naturedly. “I don’t think you’d do that. Of course I actually want to be here.” 

“I wouldn’t do that,” Suga said, frowning and pouting a little. But he hadn’t missed the way Daichi had admitted to wanting to be around him, which gave him a squirmy feeling inside his chest that he tried very hard to quash. _It doesn’t mean anything,_ he thought to himself. _It just means he likes being your partner, that’s all._

“Of course not,” Daichi said, still grinning a little. 

The problem was that the more Suga got to know Daichi, the harder it became to ignore how he felt. The playful banter that was developing between them was positively agonizing for him. There was no way Daichi was flirting with him, but that didn’t stop Suga from pretending. 

“Well, I’d better be off for the night.” 

“Me too,” Suga said, though there was nothing he’d rather do than continue to hang out with Daichi. 

“We’ve got the next few days off, so I’ll see you in a few days,” Daichi said as he laid his money on the table. “Unless you need a ride home?” 

“Oh no, I only live a few blocks from here, actually,” Suga said. 

“Are you sure?” Daichi said. 

“I can walk a couple of blocks,” Suga rolled his eyes. “But thanks.” 

As they stepped out into the night, waving as they parted ways, Suga’s heart squeezed as he turned his back on Daichi. He was so kind, so caring. Suga couldn’t believe that he actually was the one to kill Kuroo, his former partner and lover. Suga couldn’t picture it. Certainly, Daichi said he would do anything to protect people, but Suga didn’t think Daichi’s kind heart would let him do something so monstrous. 

There was some kind of cover-up. Suga was sure of it. And he was determined to find out. 

+++ 

Later that night, Daichi laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. What was he thinking? 

After what happened with Kuroo, Daichi had sworn he’d keep his ties with other inspectors loose. Sure, he was close with Oikawa, but Oikawa took good care of himself and had a lot to live for, a lot of reasons to keep his Psycho-Pass under control. The rest of the CID would be easy for him to keep at arm’s length. That was what Daichi wanted. 

It had only been two months since Kuroo’s death, and he was already breaking his self-imposed rules by spending time outside of work with Suga. 

As he thought about Kuroo, a hole opened in his chest. Or rather, was uncovered. The hole was always there. Grief was a vacuum, but Daichi was good at keeping the door to the vacuum covered, most of the time. It was hardest at home. He still lived in the apartment that he and Kuroo had shared for all those years. Kuroo’s absence was even more pronounced at home than at work. 

Then again, there wasn’t any part of Daichi’s life that Kuroo hadn’t touched. 

At first, he thought the worst part was everyone thinking he had pulled the trigger. After all, that’s what had gone in the official report, even if much of the information was redacted to protect the Sibyl System. Someone in the department had accessed it. (Probably Oikawa.) Because shortly after it happened, everyone started to look at him differently. For a few weeks, the enforcers even looked afraid of him. He hated it. He thought that was the worst of it. 

But after a few weeks, he had grown used to the uneasy stares, and they’d even seemed to subside as Kuroo faded from everyone’s mind. 

Everyone but Daichi. 

He closed his eyes and the image came, as it often did, of Kuroo standing in front of the Sibyl System. Daichi is pointing a Dominator in Lethal Elimination mode at him. 

_“This is your grand plan?” Daichi gaped at him. “Just show up and see what happens?!”_

_“I had to see for myself. I thought I’d figure out the rest when I got here.”_

_“That’s selfish! And stupid. You think they wouldn’t account for this possibility?”_

_“Criminals are selfish, Daichi,” Kuroo said with a rueful smile. “Isn’t that what the Dominator says I am?”_

_“There has to be another way!” Daichi shouted, addressing the System this time. “I thought you were willing to make an exception!”_

_“Circumstances have changed,” the directional voice said to him. “He made it too far. You were too late. Administer justice, Inspector Sawamura. Put your feelings aside and do your job.”_

_“I c-can’t,” he said shakily. “I’m not like you guys.”_

_“It’s okay, Daichi,” Kuroo said, still smiling. “I’d rather it be you than someone else.”_

_“I could let you go,” Daichi whispered._

_“Then your Crime Coefficient will go up,” Kuroo said severely. “No. I won’t run.”_

_“I won’t shoot.”_

That was the last thing Daichi had said to Kuroo. 

In the end, when Chief Wakatoshi fired the shot at Kuroo, Daichi knew that deep down, he should have predicted exactly this outcome. He knew that Kuroo was in too far, that he was far gone down a path where Daichi couldn’t follow. That was the worst part. Not the furtive looks from enforcers, not his name on the redacted report. No, the worst part was the inevitability he felt whenever he thought about what had happened. 

Kuroo had once told him he had always figured he would end up a latent criminal. 

“You asshole,” Daichi said quietly as he laid in the empty apartment. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and he choked back a sob. 

But the memory of dinner with Suga floated through his mind. Guilt flooded Daichi’s chest as he thought about the teasing - the _flirting_ \- he was doing with Suga. Even being Suga’s friend was unsafe for Daichi. And what kind of person was he, that he’d chase after someone this soon after Kuroo’s death? 

You’re not chasing Suga, a small voice said in his head. You just want to be his friend. 

A friend sounded nice. A partner he could rely on and trust was something Daichi wanted. But the way Kuroo had handled his Psycho-Pass deterioration and all the events that followed after made him wary. Daichi couldn’t lose someone like that again. Still, he couldn’t deny that it had been hard to distance himself from Suga those first two months, and things had felt much better since he’d opened up a little. 

There was nothing wrong with a little friendliness, he decided. 

As he started to fall asleep, Kuroo floated in and out of his dreams. They were hazy and uncertain, but Daichi heard Kuroo say one thing very clearly. 

“You deserve to be happy, Dai.” 

He woke the next morning with those words rattling around in his head, terribly unrested and a nervous tension in the pit of his stomach. 

“Happy, huh?” He said sleepily to his empty apartment. “You sure made that hard.” 

He wondered who Suga had heard about Kuroo from. Daichi was intuitive, he could tell that Suga’s questions about the compatibility rating had something to do with Kuroo. He was probably concerned about what Daichi’s past partnerships had been like. Daichi supposed he would too, if his partner was standoffish and distant, as Daichi had been these past two months. 

He spent the day cleaning the apartment and running errands. Throughout the whole day, though, he couldn’t stop thinking of his conversation with Suga the other night. He thought about Kuroo, and wondered who had told Suga. He didn’t understand why this was so important to him, but it was, because before he knew it, his phone was out and he was ringing Oikawa. 

“Not like you to call,” Oikawa answered a bit coldly. Daichi’s stomach twisted. He’d been distant lately. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Oikawa sighed on the other end of the line. “Never mind, Dai-chan, it’s nice to hear from you.” 

“Are you at work?” Daichi asked. 

“No, Division Three’s on. You want to go grab something to drink?” Oikawa asked hopefully. 

“Yeah,” Daichi said. He paused. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.” 

“That sounds ominous.” 

“It’s really not.” 

“Alright, Dai-chan, let’s meet at that little bar by your apartment. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Oikawa was sipping a drink at a table across from Daichi. He was trying not to show it, but his shoulders were tensed up. 

“Geez, you don’t have to be worried,” Daichi sighed. 

“Worried? Me? Never,” Oikawa sniffed, but Daichi did see his shoulders loosen a little. 

“I just want to ask if it was you who told Suga about Kuroo.” 

“Eh?!” Oikawa looked at Daichi sharply. Daichi wasn’t surprised. Not once in the last two months had Daichi talked to Oikawa about Kuroo, even when pressed. (“It’s not good to bottle it up inside!” “Do you want to check my Psycho-Pass then?” “No.”) 

“Someone told him about the report. I know you read it,” Daichi said without accusation. 

Oikawa narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, and eventually sat back in his seat. 

“So you’re finally ready to talk about it?” He asked furtively. 

“I didn’t say that,” Daichi replied curtly. 

“Well, Dai-chan, as I’ve told you many times before, it’s not good to keep it all bottled up inside you.” 

“As I’ve offered to you many times, would you like to check my Psycho-Pass?” 

“You know, not all well-being can be determined by reading someone’s Psycho-Pass,” Oikawa said grumpily. He gave a long-suffering sigh. “Forgive me for caring,” he said airily. Daichi fixed him with a hard look. 

“Yes, I read the report. It was an odd report. A bunch of the details were redacted,” Oikawa looked at Daichi questioningly, but Daichi simply waited for him to go on. “But I know it was you who shot Kuro-chan,” he said this last part quietly. 

Daichi tried not to flinch as he heard it. Oikawa really believed the report. He actually thought Daichi was capable of that. It made him feel sick, but he took a sip of his drink and steeled himself. Oikawa looked sad. 

“I’m sorry you had to-” 

“Did you tell Suga?” Daichi interrupted Oikawa. 

“No, but I told Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said with a shrug. “I’m sorry. I was very distraught. The thought of you having to do such a thing.” He shuddered before glancing at Daichi again, as if worried Daichi was going to break down in front of him. 

Daichi just sighed. 

“So that’s how the enforcers found out,” he said levelly. 

“I said I’m sorry!” 

“It’s okay,” Daichi said, trying for a small smile. “I think it would’ve got out eventually.” 

“But I didn’t tell Kou-chan.” 

“He’s Kou-chan now?” 

“Of course he is. You wouldn’t hang out with him for the last two months, so it’s only natural he’d realize I’m obviously a much better friend choice,” Oikawa smiled mischievously. “The adorable little thing. I’m surprised he’s tough enough to handle Mental Traces. It’s always the cute ones you have to watch out for.” 

Daichi felt himself smile at the thought of Suga being cute, just a tiny bit, and caught himself. He cleared his throat and hoped Oikawa hadn’t noticed. 

“One of the enforcers must’ve told him,” he said. 

“Seems likely. We can dig deeper and find out if you want.” 

“No, it’s okay,” Daichi said. “I’m sorry for troubling you about it.” 

“You’re never troubling me, Dai-chan,” Oikawa was smiling again, though he looked a little sad. “Just… you ought to talk about it eventually.” 

Daichi sighed again. 

“All I can tell you is that I can’t talk about it. Not that I don’t want to,” although in truth he really didn’t want to. “But I can’t.” 

Oikawa’s eyes widened. 

“What the hell happened?” He asked quietly. 

“That’s all I can say,” Daichi took a sip of his beer. “I’m not trying to hold out on you. You’re a good friend.” 

“Well, if you can’t say, let’s move on to other things. How is working with Kou-chan?” Oikawa asked, and Daichi felt like his look was just a little too knowing. 

“Working with a Mentalist is… different,” Daichi said slowly. “He’s sharp and nothing escapes him. The enforcers really seem to get along with him. Like you said, he’s tough. Did you hear about our last case?” 

“The hostage situation? Yeah, I heard about it.” 

“He did a Mental Trace on a latent criminal. I thought it sounded too dangerous, but he jumped right in.” 

“He’s cute, but he sure is tough, isn’t he?” 

Daichi sipped his beer before replying. 

“He is. Tough, I mean.” 

“I hear you guys have been spending more time together,” Oikawa said with a raised eyebrow. 

“Sure,” Daichi said. “We’re partners, so it’s understandable.” He hoped he didn’t sound defensive. 

“I thought you had sworn off work relationships.” 

“It’s not a relationship!” Daichi spluttered. 

“Friendships are relationships, Dai-chan,” Oikawa said. “I’m glad.” 

“You’re glad?” 

“You smile a little bit more now.” 

Daichi’s heart twisted. Kuroo’s death hadn’t been easy on Oikawa, probably because of how distant Daichi had become. 

“It’s been a rough couple of months.” 

“I miss him too, Dai-chan,” Oikawa said, looking a little more serious. “But don’t take it out on Kou-chan.” 

“I’m not!” Daichi insisted. “Well, not anymore. I feel bad.” 

“If he knows what happened, I’m sure he doesn’t blame you.” 

“I don’t know if he knows about… me and Kuroo. If you know what I mean.” 

“Hmm, but if you just want to be friends, why does it matter?” 

“I guess it doesn’t,” Daichi grumbled, feeling put on the spot. “I do just want to be friends,” he glanced up at Oikawa, glaring. “So don’t get any funny ideas.” 

“Me? Meddle in your life? I wouldn’t dream of it!” Oikawa replied dramatically. 

“Yeah right,” Daichi felt himself smile just a bit. 

Oikawa looked at him sadly. “Not right now, anyway.” 

Daichi was grateful. Oikawa knew that Daichi still missed Kuroo. No matter how great Suga was, all Daichi wanted was to be friends. That couldn’t be so bad or dangerous, right? 

They talked cases and bantered a bit before Daichi decided to head home. 

“It was nice to see you, Dai-chan,” Oikawa said as they were leaving. 

“You see me all the time.” 

“It’s nice to see you outside of work,” Oikawa rolled his eyes. “Anyway, see you.” 

“See you,” Daichi waved as he headed back to his apartment. He thought he’d cook some dinner and maybe watch the news. Being home alone was something he was used to, but it wasn’t his favorite part of life. As he walked back into the apartment, he sighed. 

“Maybe I should move,” he said quietly to himself. Oikawa had certainly suggested it, ever since Kuroo became a latent criminal and moved out.

He was relaxing on his couch, flipping through his phone absentmindedly when it started ringing. 

[Incoming call: Sugawara Koushi] 

+++

“Hey, Daichiiiii,” Suga was vaguely aware that his voice was slurring over the phone. 

“Suga? Are you okay?” Daichi sounded worried. Shit. Suga was worrying him. 

“Of course I’m okay,” he said, trying to sound together and with it. “Just wanted to talk to you is all.” 

“You know drinking to excess is bad for your Psycho-Pass,” Daichi said sternly, appraising the situation quickly. He sure was observant, Suga thought a little miserably. Suga could picture the commanding, disapproving look on his face. It made his heart do something funny. 

“Tha’s an ol’ wives’ tale,” Suga insisted. “Besides, I don’ usually drink like this.” 

“Then what on earth possessed you to do so tonight?” 

“Dunno,” Suga said absently. 

“Are you by yourself?” 

“Not exactly. There’s plenty of people in this restaurant.” 

“You’re out?!” 

“Well, you don’t have to sound so seeeeerious,” Suga said before hiccuping. 

“Where are you?” 

“Why? You comin’ to rescue me?” Suga erupted into a fit of hysterical giggles, because in his alcohol-addled brain, this scenario just seemed too good to be true. 

“Someone’s gotta look after you,” Daichi replied. Suga could still picture the look on his face, which didn’t help his giggles calm down. 

“Tha’s real sweet, Daichi,” Suga said. “I’m okay.” 

“I bet Yachi could find your location based on your phone or communicator,” Daichi said firmly. “So I’m coming either way.” 

“You wouldn’t trouble the analyst for somethin’ so silly,” Suga said. 

“You really think I wouldn’t?” 

Suga paused, thinking the situation over. Well, there wasn’t a lot of thinking going on in his brain right now. It was mostly just a jumble of weird feelings and desires, and god, he wanted Daichi to rescue him so badly. 

“Fine. I’m jus’ at the ramen place near my house. I really can handle it,” he added for good measure. 

“Nonsense. Stay there. Don’t have anything else to drink,” Daichi sounded like he was rolling his eyes. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” 

The line went dead. 

Suga held his phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment, not sure if that had really happened. 

“It’s not really a booty call if you ask him not to come,” the person next to him commented. 

Suga’s face lit up. “H-he’s not a booty call.” 

“Uh huh,” his neighbor blew on his soup. 

“S’not it,” Suga sniffed, turning back to his own food, which he had hardly touched in favor of drinking several drinks. Daichi’s question wasn’t unfounded: what had possessed him in the first place? Suga didn’t drink often. He remembered coming to the restaurant. Originally he was just going to get dinner, but the server had asked if he wanted anything to drink. Suga had been feeling a little miserable, eating alone when he wanted to be with his work partner, a feeling he felt a fair amount of guilt for. A drink sounded good. One couldn’t hurt. 

But one had turned into three, and suddenly he was drunk-dialing the person he was miserable over. Had he really been drinking to deal with his feelings for Daichi? If so, he certainly hadn’t helped himself by calling him. 

The door clanked as it opened and Suga felt himself soften as he looked at Daichi, standing in the doorway of the restaurant, looking thoroughly concerned. 

“There you are,” Daichi came over to him as soon as he saw him. Suga expected Daichi to look annoyed or irritated, and maybe it was wishful thinking - but instead he saw some soft affection on Daichi’s face. 

“Here I am!” He replied brightly before hiccuping again. 

“Mind if I sit down?” Daichi motioned to the empty seat at Suga’s table. 

“Pleeeeeease, sit down. I’ll buy you some ramen for your trouble.” 

“I think I will have something to eat,” Daichi said, looking relieved as he sat down. “You don’t have to pay though.” 

“Course I do,” Suga put his spoon into his now lukewarm ramen. “You wenta all this trouble for me.” 

“It’s no trouble,” Daichi said reassuringly. “Just need to make sure my partner’s alright.” 

Suga felt his cheeks heat up and quickly sipped broth from his spoon, which he unhelpfully managed to spill on himself. 

This is going well, some part of his brain supplied. 

“Here,” Daichi handed Suga his napkin. Their fingers brushed and Suga felt his cheeks grow redder. Hopefully Daichi just thought it was the alcohol. 

The server came over and Daichi ordered some ramen and insisted on a glass of water for Suga. Suga did not try to order any more drinks, as he figured he had probably done enough damage already. Daichi’s food and the water arrived quickly, and even though Daichi seemed to be watching Suga rather closely, he looked more relaxed than normal. 

“I mean, what a gentleman!” Suga heard himself say. If he wasn’t mistaken, the tips of Daichi’s ears turned red. 

“What kind of partner would I be if I just let you be irresponsible?” Daichi tutted. He slurped a noodle and pushed the water glass in Suga’s direction. “Drink.” 

“Fine, fine,” Suga waved him off, but did take the glass and drank at least half of it. 

“No,” Daichi said firmly as Suga set the half-full glass down. “All of it.” 

“You’re a slavedriver, Daichi,” Suga said with a wink, picking the glass back up. 

“We don’t have work tomorrow, but I still don’t want you waking up with a raging hangover,” Daichi said. “Most people don’t drink much these days. There’s plenty of safer ways to have a good time. I’m a little surprised.” 

“I’m surprised too!” Suga said with a giggle. “Wasn’t on the agenda for the night, but it brought me you so I’m grateful.” 

“You’re a danger to yourself,” Daichi said a little more seriously. 

“Wanna check my Psycho-Pass?” Suga said with a smile. 

Daichi sighed. “No, it’s fine.” 

“I’m clear, Daichi,” Suga said brightly. “I’m always clear.” 

When Daichi finished his food, Suga insisted on paying until Daichi relented. 

“Well, as fun as this has been, s’time for me to wish you g’night, partner,” Suga said, standing up. He felt significantly less wobbly than he’d expected, but some time had passed since his last drink and he had managed to eat all his ramen. 

“I don’t think so,” Daichi said. 

Suga made an embarrassing squeaking nose. He cleared his throat afterwards. “Uh, come again?” 

“I’m seeing you home, of course,” Daichi said, standing up and to Suga’s delight and horror, offering his arm for Suga to take. 

“Y-you don’t have to do that!” Suga said with a high note edging into his voice. He noticed the person at the neighboring table watching with amusement painted all over his face. 

“Of course I do. C’mon, let’s go. You’re not far from here, right?” 

Suga gingerly took Daichi’s arm, trying his hardest not to lean on him at all. 

“I’m feeling better,” Suga insisted as they walked out the door. “I’m probably sobered up by now.” 

“Not a chance I’m willing to take,” Daichi said firmly, although he was smiling just a little bit. 

For the first time, Suga felt a twinge of regret in his chest. Daichi was dedicated to people, and he’d lost one partner before. He certainly didn’t want to lose another, Suga figured. He probably was protecting himself from the pain of seeing someone else follow Kuroo’s path. Even though Suga knew his Psycho-Pass wouldn’t cloud from something as simple as this - it hardly clouded for anything - he felt bad. 

“Thanks, Daichi,” Suga said, aware he sounded a little crestfallen. 

“Don’t worry about it. Which way?” 

“Oh,” Suga tugged at Daichi’s arm and led them down the street. “This way.” 

When they got to his building, he started to let go of Daichi’s arm. 

“Well, it’s this one. Thanks again.” 

“I said I’d see you home,” Daichi said meaningfully. “I need to make sure you get to your apartment okay.” 

Oh. _Oh._ Daichi wanted to come into the building. Suga cleared his throat and unlocked the front door. 

“R-right,” he said, pointing to the elevator. “I’m a few floors up.” 

“You do seem more with it,” Daichi admitted as they got in the elevator. “The food and water probably helped. But it would be irresponsible of me to come this far and not make sure you get settled properly.” 

“I’m not a kid,” Suga said with a grumble. 

Daichi surprised him by laughing. 

“You called me, you know.” 

Suga crossed his arms over his chest. Daichi had a point. 

When they got to Suga’s door, Suga shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he fumbled with the identification pad. As the door opened, he looked back at Daichi, who seemed determined to follow him into his apartment. Whatever Suga had expected from his night, this was certainly not what he had in mind when he had drunk-dialed Daichi. 

“Sugawara-san, you’re home late!” An AI personal assistant shaped like a cartoonish puppy chirped brightly as the lights came on in his dark place. “And you’ve brought company!” 

“Okay,” Suga waved off the AI. “I’m home late, I get it.” 

“Sibyl recommends 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Given your usual morning wakeup time, this is far too late for you to be getting in bed.” 

“It’s not even midnight,” Suga grumbled. “Go make yourself useful and make some tea.” He glanced back at Daichi. “Would you like some?” He asked tentatively. To his surprise, Daichi was grinning at his AI. 

“What?” Suga asked defensively. 

“I don’t have an AI. It’s cute,” Daichi said, watching the cartoonish hologram float around Suga’s apartment. 

“Would Suga’s company also like tea?” The puppy asked. 

“Oh,” Daichi seemed surprised to be addressed by it. “Yeah, I’ll have some.” He looked over at Suga. “I don’t want to impose.” 

“Daichi, I am of course the one who imposed upon your evening, dragging you from whatever fun you were obviously having without me,” Suga said lightly, wiggling an eyebrow. _Don’t flirt with him, you idiot,_ he yelled at himself internally. 

Daichi sighed. 

“Tea for two!” Said the AI before floating over to Suga’s kitchen. 

“This is a nice apartment,” Daichi said, looking around. It wasn’t too big, it wasn’t too small. There were some succulents sitting on the windowsill. 

“Are those real?” Daichi asked incredulously. “They don’t look like a holo.” 

“Ah,” Suga scratched the back of his neck, flushing. “Yeah, my mom really liked real plants. So I keep them around.” 

Daichi looked at Suga thoughtfully, as though he had something to say, but thought better of it and walked over to the plants, touching them gently. 

“Cool,” he said quietly. 

“Tea for two is prepared!” Chirped the AI. 

“Thanks, Dime,” Suga said. “Now scram.” 

The little cartoon dog holo saluted before disappearing with a pop. 

“Well, sit,” Suga took the tea off the counter and motioned to his couch. 

“I should let you get ready for bed,” Daichi said apologetically as he took the tea from Suga. 

“Forget what the AI says,” Suga rolled his eyes. “I sleep plenty.” 

They fell into an easy silence as they sipped their tea. 

“I really am sorry,” Suga said eventually, feeling sheepish. 

“Sorry?” Daichi tilted his head to the side. 

“For troubling you tonight.” 

“I told you, it’s no trouble. I just want you to take care of yourself,” Daichi said with a soft smile. Suga’s stomach flipped. 

“Well,” Suga said slowly. “I don’t want you to have to find your way home in the dark, and this couch is pretty comfortable for me, so you should sleep in my bed.” _What?_

Daichi choked on his tea. Suga couldn’t blame him. He was just as surprised as Daichi at his own suggestion. 

“I couldn’t possibly do that!” He said quickly.

“Of course you can!” Suga said, aware his voice was still several octaves higher than normal. 

“It is pretty late,” Daichi conceded thoughtfully. “I can sleep on the couch.” 

“Daichi-” 

“You said yourself it’s comfortable.” 

“I said it’s comfortable for me.” 

“Fine, I’ll see myself home then.” 

“Not in the dark like this!” 

“I’m an inspector with the criminal investigation department. Do you think I’m worried about the dark?” 

“W-well, no.” 

Daichi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’ll stay,” he said resolutely. “Just to make sure you aren’t terribly sick in the morning. You might have a hangover. To think, in this day and age, you chose to do something that could give you a hangover.” 

“I’m fine!” Suga insisted. “Go home if you want, I guess.” 

“No, I’m staying,” Daichi said firmly. “But I’m not sleeping in your bed. Get me a pillow, I’ll be fine.” 

Suga sighed before standing up. “I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket. How about some pajamas, too?” 

“Oh, that would be nice,” Daichi said quietly. 

Suga groaned inwardly as he made his way into his bedroom to find an extra blanket and pillow and some pajamas. When he returned with the desired items, Daichi accepted them gratefully, looking around for Suga’s bathroom - presumably so he could change. 

“You should get comfortable, too,” Daichi said softly. 

Suga looked down at himself. His shirt still had a spot on it from where he’d spilled his soup earlier. 

“Ha, I guess I could look less like a slob.” 

“That’s not what I meant,” Daichi rolled his eyes before closing the bathroom door behind him. 

Suga did go to change, and came out into the living room with enough time to set up Daichi’s pillow and blanket for him. 

_This is a disaster,_ he thought. 

Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, Daichi emerged from his bathroom, wearing _Suga’s clothes_ (of course he was, Suga had given them to him) which were just the smallest bit too tight for him and pulled tight in all the right places. Suga’s mouth ran dry and he momentarily forgot how to speak. 

“Thanks,” Daichi said, motioning towards the blanket and pillow on the couch. 

“Of course,” Suga squeaked out. “I’m going to bed,” he added quickly, unsure if he could handle the sight of Daichi in his clothes any longer. 

“Goodnight,” Daichi said pleasantly behind him. 

“Night,” Suga waved without looking back, and crawled under the blankets in his bed. He buried his head under the pillow and felt like screaming. What the hell was he thinking? 

+++ 

As Daichi made himself comfortable on Suga’s couch, wearing clothes that weren’t his, closing his eyes to try to sleep, a now too-familiar question ran through his head. 

What was he thinking?


	4. There's Nothing We Can't Wish For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga and Daichi spend some more time together, and Chief Wakatoshi reveals a secret to Daichi about Suga that not even he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, all chapter titles (so far) have either been episode titles or lines from psycho pass ops.
> 
> the actual title and the last chapter title are from abnormalize, and this one is from all alone with you

Daichi woke to a strange sizzling sound. He sat up quickly, momentarily confused about where he was. He sniffed the air - he smelled food - and remembered suddenly the previous night’s events. He was at Suga’s apartment. He’d slept over after picking an inebriated Suga up from a restaurant. 

“Sugawara-san, your guest is awake!” Daichi recognized the voice from the AI assistant talking to someone in the kitchen. 

“Shhh, Dime, he’s probably sleepy,” Suga hushed the AI. Daichi heard footsteps pad over to the couch and then Suga’s bright face was smiling down at him. 

“Sleep okay, inspector?” Suga asked brightly. 

“The couch is comfortable,” Daichi said, sitting up and pulling the blanket off of himself. “I slept just fine.” 

“That’s a relief,” Suga said with an exhale. 

“What’s that sound?” 

“Eggs cooking,” Suga looked over at the kitchen. “Do you ever cook for yourself?” 

Daichi smiled sheepishly. “Rarely. I’ve never cooked an egg for myself before.” He felt a twinge in his chest. Kuroo had done the cooking, back when he’d lived with Daichi. 

“Homemade food is so much better than drone food,” Suga said, walking back over to his kitchen. “This is my way of saying thanks.” 

“Thanks?” Daichi got up and followed Suga. 

“For last night, of course,” Suga said. “For rescuing me from myself.” 

“Oh,” Daichi said lamely. “Just making sure you’re okay. On that note, do you feel okay?” 

“Right as rain!” Suga chirped. “I think that water you made me drink helped. Anyway, do you want some coffee?” 

“Coffee sounds nice,” Daichi said with a smile. 

“The coffee is drone made,” Suga said. “I’d love to get a real coffee grinder and use real coffee beans someday,” he said this dreamily as he poured coffee into a mug. “Plus I hear that stuff gives you more energy than three of these,” he handed the mug to Daichi. 

“Is that so?” Daichi asked as he took the mug. 

“Mmhmm,” Suga returned to his pan on the stove, flipping the egg. “Hope you like over medium.” 

“That’s just fine,” Daichi said. 

“Well, it’s nothing fancy,” Suga said as he slid a plate towards Daichi. It had a perfect egg and a piece of toast with butter. It looked perfect to Daichi. “But thanks.” 

“You’re welcome,” Daichi replied, picking up his toast and taking a bite. “Thanks to you too.” 

“For what?” Suga tilted his head to the side. “I completely interrupted your evening off.” 

“Nah,” Daichi said between bites. “I wasn’t doing anything. It was nice to have something to do. Although,” he frowned. “Don’t make a habit of drinking like that. It’s bad for your Psycho-Pass.” 

“Yes, yes,” Suga said. “Don’t worry, inspector. My hue is my top priority.” 

“You don’t have to call me that when we’re off the job,” Daichi rolled his eyes. 

“But it’s so much fun,” Suga said good-naturedly as he plopped an egg and a piece of toast onto his own plate. 

Daichi felt himself roll his eyes. He split the egg and dipped his toast in the runny yolk. 

“Whoa!” He said after he took a bite. “This is good.” 

“Homemade food is a specialty of mine,” Suga said with a shrug. “It is good. I could teach you sometime, if you wanted.” 

Daichi looked at him. “I’d like that,” he said, a small smile creeping across his face. 

He was breaking every single rule he had placed on himself since Kuroo’s death. But right at the moment, he didn’t care at all.

“We’ll have to do it on our next set of days off, then,” Suga said with a wink. 

Daichi felt himself flush a little bit at the playful expression and hoped it didn’t show. 

By the time he had finished breakfast and was headed out the door to go back to his own apartment, he had cooled off and convinced himself he was just doing something nice for a friend. And Suga wanted to be his friend, too. The thought filled him with an inexplicable warmth. 

He felt the smallest twinge of guilt as Kuroo floated through his memory. Would he have done that if Kuroo was still around? 

_But Kuroo’s not around. He left you,_ a tiny voice inside his head said. As Daichi had gone about life after Kuroo, a small part of him felt angry at Kuroo. Angry for letting his Psycho-Pass deteriorate, for going against the System and trying to expose it. Kuroo should have known better. He did know better. He just didn’t care. He didn’t care enough about Daichi to stick around. 

Daichi took a deep breath and tried to rid himself of the confusing, swirling thoughts in his head. The last thing he needed was a clouded Psycho-Pass. But when he got back to his apartment, he checked his Hue. 

Powder blue, like always. 

He sighed. It’s not that he wished his Psycho-Pass was going up. It would just be nice to know he had some kind of feelings of substance. 

“Am I really that heartless?” He said to the empty apartment. 

+++

“Do you make it a habit to become involved with all your partners, Inspector Sawamura?”

Daichi’s eyes widened before narrowing suspiciously at the chief. He didn’t like the insinuation that he was being monitored. The following day, back at the MWPSB, he’d been called into the chief’s office unexpectedly. As the lead inspector in Division One, this wasn’t terribly uncommon, but it was still unusual. 

“We’re not-”

“Your personal life aside,” Chief Wakatoshi interrupted Daichi before he could explain himself. “You should know that Sugawara Koushi is of great importance to the Sibyl System.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Daichi asked. 

“You’re his partner,” Chief Wakatoshi shrugged. “Surely you’ve checked his Psycho-Pass reading from time to time.”

“You should know I haven’t,” Daichi replied. He didn’t make it a habit to check up on other inspectors unless the situation was particularly dire. He swallowed as he thought of the last time he checked another inspector’s Psycho-Pass. It was when Kuroo became a latent criminal following Enforcer Bokuto’s death. 

“I suppose you haven’t. There’s something you should see.” 

Chief Wakatoshi pulled up something on a screen and turned it around for Daichi to look at. Daichi’s suspicions deepened as he recognized a list of Psycho-Pass numbers. They must have been Suga’s. 

“You’re monitoring his-” 

But Daichi stopped as his eyes ran down the numbers and the corresponding date. 

45.8  
30.9  
21.3  
14.1  
7.0  
0.5  
0 

“This is from-” 

“The numbers from last case you two worked. This is Inspector Sugawara’s Psycho-Pass reading from the time you arrived on the scene until the enforcement was complete, including during the Mental Trace when he passed out. That was quite a tough case, having to perform so much enforcement.” 

Daichi shuddered as he thought about it. The hostage situation, which hadn’t ended well for anyone. Even the woman who hadn’t gone up high enough to trigger the Lethal Eliminator was still in a facility, and her Crime Coefficient seemed to be stabilizing above 100. 

“Even your Psycho-Pass had a slight uptick for the next two days,” Chief Wakatoshi said. “And you’re our model citizen.” 

“How would you know that?”

“You walk by a scanner every day you come into the PSB, you know that. As you can see, the new inspector’s numbers don’t reflect a normal Psycho-Pass.” 

“He doesn’t have a normal Psycho-Pass?” Daichi eyed the chief suspiciously. 

“Come now,” Chief Wakatoshi said. “Surely you know what that means.” 

“He’s criminally asymptomatic?” Daichi’s eyes widened. 

Chief Wakatoshi inclined his head ever so slightly. 

“Sugawara has suffered great distress in his life, even recently. And no corresponding change has ever been recorded in his Psycho-Pass in relation to a stressful life event. There is no other explanation.” 

“Does he know?” 

“He must know something is different about himself. But he certainly wouldn’t have the proper knowledge to understand what he is. So for practical purposes, no, he doesn’t know.”

“What are you playing at, telling me all this?”

“It’s important that he doesn’t use a Mental Trace on you.” 

“A Mental Trace? Why’s that?” 

“You’ve seen… us.” 

Of course. If someone were to sift through Daichi’s memories as Mentalists could, they might stumble upon the memory of when Daichi had been shown the true form of the Sibyl System. 

“You don’t want him to know about the system? But don’t you want him to be a part of it?” 

“Only in due time,” Chief Wakatoshi said. 

“I can’t exactly stop him from tracing me if he wants to. Although I don’t really think he would,” he added. 

“It’s likely that he wants to know what happened to Kuroo Tetsurou.” 

Daichi stiffened at Kuroo’s name. 

“Don’t talk about him,” Daichi snapped quietly. 

“Don’t talk back to a superior,” Chief Wakatoshi replied in a bored voice. “Sugawara Koushi accessed the official report on the Kuroo case yesterday.” 

“The report that says I shot him,” Daichi said coldly, sparing a small thought to be surprised that Suga had looked into it. Not only had he been put under a strict gag order about Kuroo’s death, but the official report said he was the one who had enforced Kuroo. “I told Suga I can’t talk about it.” 

“Which naturally sparked his curiosity. He has an incredible mind. You should know that better than most. Find a better explanation. One that fits with the report.” 

“You want me to lie to him?” 

“Once Sugawara knows our true form, it will be hard to delay integrating him into the system.” 

The air left Daichi’s lungs as he understood what that meant. 

“That’s right, inspector. If you don’t want to lose another partner - although this time he would simply be taken in as a part of the Sibyl System, which is where he ultimately belongs - I suggest you work hard to make sure he doesn’t use your memories to find our true form.” 

“What if he doesn’t want to be a part of the system?” Daichi couldn’t imagine someone like Suga wanting to join the Sibyl System. 

“That’s not for him to decide,” the chief said. 

“It should be,” Daichi murmured. 

“Keep him out of your head,” Chief Wakatoshi said firmly. “And you’ll continue to have the partner you… appreciate. You’re dismissed.” 

Daichi saluted. As he turned and headed out the door, thoughts swirled around in his head. 

Suga was criminally asymptomatic. He’d been determined as a suitable candidate to work in the MWPSB. In fact, they left a vacancy in Division One for months until he was able to work. Was it because they wanted to keep tabs on him? Besides, Suga didn’t seem like Tendou Satori. He didn’t seem like he had a criminal’s psychology. He seemed normal, virtuous even. That wasn’t the impression Daichi had gotten of the other members of the Sibyl System as he’d come to learn the truth about it. 

Maybe the reason they knew about Daichi’s involvement with Suga (it wasn’t involvement, he thought resentfully. He’d just slept over, nothing had happened) was because they were monitoring Suga, not Daichi. This thought made Daichi’s stomach churn. He felt suddenly very protective of Suga. He wouldn’t let them take him. It didn’t matter what he had to do. He’d never let whatever procedure happen to those brains in glass cases happen to Suga. 

He stopped in the hallway, looking at the ground. 

It didn’t matter what he had to do? 

That was a dangerous way to feel. Daichi caught himself. He took a deep breath, shook his head as if to rid himself of all these thoughts, and headed into the office, where Asahi and Kiyoko were waiting for approval on some paperwork. 

+++ 

Suga lay on his bed, fiddling with his cowlick. He was on for the afternoon shift that day - Daichi was assigned in the morning. So he had all morning to think over the events of the last few days. Not that he hadn’t already, obsessively. He bounced between different emotions, from embarrassment to excitement and everything in between. Daichi was a good guy, of course he’d come to rescue drunk Suga. And Suga had completely made a fool of himself. But a part of him didn’t regret it at all, didn’t regret asking Daichi to stay the night. 

The more time he spent with Daichi, though, the more Suga wanted to know about Daichi’s past. About Kuroo. Daichi didn’t seem interested in talking about it. 

But there was a way for Suga to find out what happened. He had all morning, so he could trace Daichi and recover by the time he had to go in for his shift. 

Suga knew he shouldn’t. It was Daichi’s life and Daichi’s memories, and it wasn’t fair to him to probe like that. It was a violation of the Mentalists’ code. But he couldn’t help himself. Curiosity was eating at him. 

He took a deep breath, got comfortable in his bed, and closed his eyes. He focused on Daichi. It wasn’t hard to do, given that most of his thoughts these days were focused on Daichi. 

_It’s raining._

_Kuroo, he thought. Show me Kuroo._

_A staircase. A long, dark staircase that seemed endless. Until Suga saw… a bright light. A chamber filled with glass cases. He saw someone - someone tall, shoulders tight, facing away from him. He felt a dread he didn’t understand well up inside his chest - this person’s presence had awoken some kind of dread inside Daichi. That’s when Suga realized he was holding a Dominator._

_“Crime Coefficient is 314. Enforcement mode is Lethal Eliminator. Please aim carefully and eliminate the target.”_

_“Ah, of course it would be you.” The figure turned around to reveal his face, which had a sad, resigned smile on it._

_So this was Kuroo._

_“Inspector Sawamura,” Suga heard the directional voice inside his - Daichi’s - head. “It is recommended that you administer justice immediately.”_

_The memory skipped like a bad record and suddenly Suga was facing the door of the room. The chief was walking in, brandishing a Dominator in Lethal Eliminator mode. He felt himself step in front of Kuroo and watched the Dominator change shape and the chief’s eyes flash red._

_“Kuroo Tetsurou is a valuable asset to the MWPSB,” Suga heard himself say, voice desperate and pleading._

_“He’s an escaped enforcer. He’s of no value whatsoever. And he knows too much.”_

_“I know too much!” Suga heard Daichi’s voice say._

_“You’re an inspector. Though I wonder for how long, if this conversation continues this way.”_

_The memory skipped again. Suga was on the ground, his Dominator useless at his side._

_“Do it,” Kuroo was staring at the chief defiantly. “Do it, you miserable coward.”_

_“No!” Suga heard himself scream, and felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces as he watched the shot hit Kuroo._

_He should stop. He’d been in Daichi’s memory for too long. But he was transfixed. He felt Daichi’s shock, his grief coursing through him. Suga felt connected to him. He didn’t want to let go. He wanted to see it. He wanted to feel what Daichi had felt._

_He felt himself reach for his Dominator and aim it right at the chief, consumed with rage and sadness. He felt like he was falling into a deep, dark pit from which he would never emerge._

_“Crime Coefficient is 0. Not a target for enforcement. Trigger will be locked.”_

_Zero?_

Suga jerked back into reality, his body clammy and consumed with a bone-deep sadness that made him feel outraged for Daichi. Part of the strain of Mental Traces was the deep emotional connection that formed between the tracer and the person whose memories they were exploring, almost as if they became the same person in that moment. 

So that was the truth. Daichi had been forced to watch the chief execute Kuroo and then was blamed for his death in the report. It made Suga feel sick. Whatever Suga had expected, this certainly wasn’t it. 

His body felt heavy. His sheets were wet with sweat. He’d never spent that much time in someone’s memories before. He realized he was winded, as though he’d just finished sprinting. That had taken quite a toll on him. Maybe doing a Trace before work wasn’t his brightest idea. When he looked at his watch, he saw he had plenty of time for a shower and maybe even a nap. 

When he finally managed to get up and start getting ready, he ignored the guilt that was growing in his gut. He was glad he finally knew what really happened to Kuroo, what was making Daichi so distant. And the connection he felt with Daichi during the Trace made him feel even more strongly about Daichi. He was such a caring person, full of feelings and life. Suga wanted to spend as much time around him as he could. He wasn’t doing himself any favors if he wanted to avoid spilling his feelings all over the place, but he couldn’t really help it. 

+++ 

It turned out Suga was too impatient to wait for their days off. Despite what he had said, and despite the hesitation he felt, he invited Daichi over to his apartment when Daichi suggested they go out for dinner, as they usually did at least once a week. 

If he wasn’t mistaken, Daichi had stuttered just a little bit on his “yes.” It could just be his imagination, though. 

“Cooking is fun!” Suga said brightly as they walked into his apartment. 

“I’ve been around people who cook before, and I’ve done it a little bit, but not anything complicated,” Daichi said. 

“Well, I’m not a fan of complicated things, so I was thinking we could just make some stir fry.” 

Suga rifled through his fridge, pulling out vegetables and some sirloin. 

“That sounds great,” Daichi said as he watched Suga gather the ingredients and supplies. 

“So you can chop up this pepper,” Suga pulled out a cutting board and a knife and handed them to Daichi. Daichi was obviously a little flummoxed at being handed a kitchen knife, but to his credit turned to the counter and set the cutting board down with the pepper on it. He took the knife experimentally in his hand as if not sure exactly how to grip it. 

Against his better judgment, Suga drew close to Daichi, edging himself closer to him until… 

“So you have to hold the knife like this,” Suga said, reaching out to put his hand over Daichi’s, lightly pressing himself against Daichi’s back. He thought he felt Daichi suck in a breath, and wondered if maybe, just maybe Daichi felt it too. 

“A-ah,” Daichi said, his voice a little shaky. Suga’s stomach flipped. “I see.” Daichi didn’t move, though. They stood like that, Suga pressed gently against Daichi’s back, holding his hand over the knife.

“And then you hold the pepper like this,” Suga reached around to grab Daichi’s other hand, now pressed fully against Daichi’s back, resting his chin on Daichi’s shoulder. _Too much, too fast,_ he thought. But he couldn’t stop himself. “Keep your thumb tucked in,” he gently nudged Daichi’s thumb with his own. “So you don’t cut yourself.” 

“Okay,” Daichi said shakily, unmoving. Clearly he had no intention of cutting the pepper as they stood like that. 

“Suga,” Daichi said after a moment of silence that was agonizingly long. 

“Yeah, Daichi?” Suga said, voice low in Daichi’s ear. He felt Daichi shiver. Daichi turned his head slightly to try and look at Suga. “I…” 

Suga heard the knife fall against the cutting board as Daichi reached his hand up to cup Suga’s cheek, turning himself around so they were facing each other. This time, Suga was the one sucking in a deep, shuddering breath as Daichi’s face was suddenly inches from his. 

A blush was blooming across Daichi’s face, and Suga knew he should step back. He shouldn’t do this to someone who was still obviously grieving. But he couldn’t stand it. Daichi was too close, too good. Suga leaned in, closing the gap between them, and captured Daichi’s lips. 

Daichi brought his other hand up to cup Suga’s other cheek, rubbing circles with his thumbs as they kissed, softly but firmly. Suga let his hands graze Daichi’s sides as they came to rest at his waist, and heard Daichi let out a soft, barely audible whine that made Suga feel all sorts of crazy. Daichi was soft and gentle and it was so much better than Suga had ever imagined. He let himself bite at Daichi’s lower lip, just a tiny bit, and was rewarded with another quiet whine. He wanted to keep going, keep pushing, but he figured he’d probably done enough damage already and managed to pull back, aware that he was probably red all the way to the tips of his ears. 

As they pulled back, Daichi opened his eyes wide, apparently completely surprised by the entire thing. He looked like he was trying to think about what to say, so Suga spared him the trouble. 

“So much for being avoidant,” Suga said playfully. Daichi flushed, finally releasing his hold on Suga’s face and letting his hands come to rest by his side. Suga released Daichi’s waist and linked their fingers together. 

Suga hadn’t meant for this to happen. He even felt a little bad about it. 

“Guess you’re kind of hard for me to avoid,” Daichi said, still red. 

“I _am_ completely irresistible,” Suga winked. “Want to go sit down?” Suga inclined his head toward his couch. Daichi nodded jerkily, and Suga let go of one of Daichi’s hands and led him by the other to the couch, where they sat. 

Daichi was biting his bottom lip when Suga looked up at him, obviously thinking things over. Suga didn’t say anything, but waited for whatever Daichi had to say. 

“Suga, I’m not sure about this.” 

“About what?” 

Daichi let go of Suga’s hand and gestured vaguely at the air between them. Suga giggled. 

“Very specific, inspector,” Suga rolled his eyes. 

“You know what I mean,” Daichi said with a frown. “There’s something you should know,” he paused. “The enforcer who died, he was… we were…” 

Daichi took a deep breath. 

“We were more than work partners.” 

“Akaashi mentioned that,” Suga said lightly. 

“Ah,” Daichi scratched the back of his neck. “So you knew. I thought you might.” 

“You don’t want to get involved with me because you don’t want to have to hurt someone you care about again?” 

“Not that I doubt your Hue or anything,” Daichi said quickly. “It also… it’s only been about two months.” 

“It hasn’t been long,” Suga said. “I’m sorry. You probably don’t want the added complication of a work relationship. And this soon after. It’s disrespectful of me,” Suga looked down at his hands, suddenly aware that he was shaking. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Daichi blurted out suddenly. 

Suga blinked, looking up at him quizzically. 

“Me? Get hurt?” 

“I still really miss Kuroo,” Daichi said. “I don’t want you to feel like a replacement. I guess what I’m saying is I’m probably not ready for a new relationship. Not… yet anyway. And I don’t think you’re being disrespectful.” 

Suga smiled at him. He ignored the twinge of guilt in his chest now that he knew what had happened to Kuroo. He should tell Daichi he’d traced him. It was the right thing to do. But something held him back. Perhaps it was the guilt he felt for violating Daichi’s privacy in such a way when he had no right to do so. He didn’t want Daichi to think badly of him. 

“I’m sorry,” Suga said quietly. 

“What are you sorry for?” Daichi tilted his head. 

“For what happened,” Suga said meaningfully. “With Kuroo.” 

“I hear you accessed the official report,” Daichi said without accusation. 

“Oh,” Suga wondered if Daichi could figure out that he’d traced him too. “I’m sorry. I know I said I shouldn’t pry-” 

“I told you it’s okay to be curious,” Daichi reached back out and took Suga’s hand. “I want to talk about it. About what shooting him felt like,” Daichi’s voice quivered, and Suga felt sad because he knew Daichi was lying. He wondered why. “I just don’t think I’m ready.” 

“You never have to do or say anything you don’t want to,” Suga said firmly, squeezing Daichi’s hand. 

Daichi smiled, small and honest. 

“I think you’re pretty great, you know,” he said, blushing a little. Suga felt his own cheeks heat up. 

“Oi,” Suga said. “Where’d that come from?” 

Daichi shrugged. “I can be open and honest about some things.” 

Suga smiled at him. 

“I think you’re pretty great, too,” he sighed. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If you’re not ready, I will completely respect that. I can wait.” 

“I’m not sure I can,” Daichi mumbled, looking away. “Even though I’m the one saying we should wait.” 

Suga felt himself laugh. “That’s sweet,” he said. “I’m so irresistible you can’t hold yourself back! That’s adorable.” He watched Daichi flush. “C’mon, let’s go cook dinner. I promise not to put the moves on you again,” he added. 

They went about the rest of the evening like normal, and Suga felt the butterflies explode in his stomach even though they weren’t doing anything romantic. Just making dinner and eating together felt domestic enough for Suga’s imagination to run away. He tried not to imagine it being like this every night. 

Even if it meant waiting, Daichi had admitted to liking him. That was enough to make anyone feel like they were on top of the world. But now that he’d had a taste of Daichi, he had to admit to himself that it would be hard to keep his hands to himself. 

“What?” Daichi asked when he caught Suga staring. 

“Oh,” Suga flushed, embarrassed at being caught. “Nothing.” 

Daichi’s lips twitched. He looked amused. 

“Okay,” he replied, and went back to stirring the vegetables on the stove. 

Suga felt like this was going to be an interesting ride.


End file.
